Scars
by AnimeXisXmyXstyle
Summary: I never gave much thought to scars. Were they the remnants of embarrassing lost battles, war trophies, or just plain scars? Was there any scar that couldn't be healed? That was until I met a certain raven haired boy...with more than just physical scars.
1. Prologue

_There's no real summary that's fitting for this story. The whole story won't be sad like this, trust me._

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**Scars**

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_Prologue:_

Rain poured from the clouds above me.

I rubbed my hands together, wishing I had brought a raincoat to my karate class. It wasn't cold and raining earlier. I pushed off of the wall, leaving my safe haven to the storm.

"Jaden, you want a ride home? It's getting pretty bad out." I turned and smiled at my friend Sam.

"Nah, I like walking home after class. It's a good cool down." My wet strawberry blond hair stuck to my face and my drenched karate gi stuck to my body.

"You sure? You never know what's out there…" I laughed and smiled at his cautiousness. I waved a hand out and began to turn, striding forward into the dark before me.

"Stop being such a worrywart. I'll text you when I get home." I adjusted the straps to my bag on my shoulders. My feet made a pitter patter sound each time I splashed into a puddle and the rain above me came down in a down pour. I walked on the sidewalk and squinted as car's lights blinded me. I promised my mom I would pick up some groceries for her at the store, so I took a left and headed down the next street.

I glanced at a couple trying to escape the rain. The woman held a newspaper over her head, trying to keep droplets from wetting her styled hair. It cascaded down her shoulders in blond waves, ending at the curve of her back. Her light pink colored nails glimmered in the light from the street lamps. I looked down at my short, cracked nails and callused hands. I wished I had time to polish and take care of my nails. If only my hands were in better condition.

But they weren't; I had been taking various martial arts classes since I was seven. My knuckles were constantly bruised and sometimes bloody, my arms were toned and muscled, my body lean and athletic. I looked up again at the blond lady and noticed the man helping her into the car. I looked back down at my hands and clenched them into fists. I wish I needed someone to protect me. I wish I didn't know how to make a fist. I wish I was a helpless blond that all the guys went out of there way to help. That thought it was cute when she would trip and blush. That thought it was attractive when she bit her lip and giggled.

I looked away from my hands and focused on the store in front of me. I dried my feet on the welcome mat and entered the store. I grabbed a jug of milk from a fridge in the back and a loaf of white bread from a shelf near the front. I then placed them on the register belt.

The cashier that rang up my items was a guy about five feet and ten inches. I looked up at him and sighed. I just couldn't fit any stereo type. I wasn't pretty and blond and I wasn't tall and tough. I was barely five feet and five inches tall. Most people didn't find it very intimidating when you have to stand on your tippy toes to see them straight in the eyes.

I laughed at my pettiness. I didn't need to fit into any stereo type! I had a decent life laid out for me. I was only fifteen and was already getting hundreds of college application letters. I was going to graduate high school two years early and go straight into the pre-med program at the University of Washington, which was rated the top pre-med school for the past sixteen years in a row. I would be completely trained by the time I turned twenty-eight and would be working as a surgeon.

"Four thirty-six," The cashier announced and I pulled a crumpled five dollar bill from my bag. He handed me the change and receipt and I stuff them into my pocket, grabbing the bags and leaving the store. It was still raining outside and the dark clouds were now covering the moon. I looked up into the sky, relishing the cold droplets that tickled my skin.

It was a decent life—more than decent even—but it was all planned out. I resumed my walking and slugged the plastic bags over my shoulder. My rebellious side wanted something different; something wilder; something _adventurous._ I wanted to jump out of a plane, eat real sushi, bungee jump, learn to fight with a sword, fall in love, and ultimately find an alternative to flying.

A car screeched and I pulled from my thoughts, jumping out of the way of a car. My heart pounded in my ears and adrenaline pushed through my veins. That could have turned out badly. What if I had died tonight? I would never finish high school. I would never finish college. I would never finish medical school. I would never become a surgeon. I would never finish reading Great Expectations, which I promised my mom three years ago I would. I would never accomplish the six things on my bucket list. I would never be able to tell Sam that I liked him.

I switched the plastic bags to my left hand, stretching and cracking the knuckles on my right hand. The street light above me flickered on and off before staying off. I heard a scream in the distance. My blood went cold and I instantly wished I had accepted Sam's offer to drive me home. I tightened my grip on the bag and took off, speeding down the sidewalk. I looked down the alley beside me, only darkness filling my vision.

I squinted my green eyes and within a few seconds I could make out the outlines of three figures. Two bulky looking men and a girl crouched over in the corner. The breath left my lungs. It was the same blond from earlier. Before I could think about what I was going to do, I yelled out, "Hey you! Stop picking on her and pick on someone your own size!" I also threw my grocery bags in there general direction. The milk jug literally exploded. What did I just do? The men instantly turned to me and a shiver went down my spine. Pick on someone your own size? Way to go, genius, you're half their size too!

My legs tensed to bolt back where I came from but then I heard the girl in the corner whimper. I glanced over at her and planted my feet securely on the ground. I had a better chance than she did.

"We can keep her for later," One of the men said and I clenched my fists, willing myself not to follow my girlish instincts and high tail it out of there. The men approached me and droplets of sweat rolled down my neck, mingling with the rain drops still flowing from the clouds.

Run! Run! Run! What the hell are you doing! Fucking run! My brain screamed at me. I was being stupid, thinking I could stand up to these guys. I should have just continued on my way home. I could've ignored the scream and—my eyes looked back at the blond girl, cowering in the corner. She had a family too; people waiting at home for her. She had hope and dreams, just like every one else. I looked back at the men, new determination in my eyes.

The shorter man with a beard lunged for me. I side stepped to the side and grabbed his exposed wrist, pulling it into a lock behind his back. I heard the air stutter in his lungs. Ha, I had the advantage of surprise. The taller man made a growling sound and pulled out a knife. My eyes grew large. I pushed the shorter man into him. A cut suddenly appeared above my right eye brow. The man had knicked me on his way down. Blood escaped the slash and I looked back at the two men to see the knife had disappeared into the darkness. My body weight automatically set on my ankles, ready to turn and run, but I searched again for the blond girl.

She was making her way out of the alley, slowly, sniffles and whimpers still sounding from her. She was three fourths of the way out. A hand grabbed my hair and I screamed in response. "Not so tough now, huh?" My pulse quickened and my head started to throb. The shorter man laughed and reached for me. I didn't fight my instinct, kicking out violently like the girl I was. One of my feet—I have no idea which—landed and I heard the guy swear, step back, and hold his nose.

"You fucking bitch!" Here goes all or nothing! I twisted painfully in the taller man's grasp, and kicked him where the sun don't shine. He dropped to the ground and I turned to the shorter man, pulling off one of my shoes and pelting it at his unprotected face. Another curse rang through the air. I backed up a few feet and looked again for the girl. She was gone—safe. That's my cue to run. I turned on my heels and sprinted for dear life.

I ran out of the alley and turned onto the sidewalk. My feet splashed through the puddles noisily and my socked foot got very cold and wet very quickly. I had slightly more important things to worry about, though. I suddenly took a sharp turn to the right and glanced behind me.

The two men were running behind me, catching up to my labored pace. My breath caught in my throat. This cannot be happening to me! I glanced around; the only light around me was coming from infrequent cars passing by at nearly sixty miles an hour. I ditched my backpack and bolted off full speed. Those things were replaceable.

I worked hard, attempting to balance myself and not slip on the puddles. I remembered reading the beginner drivers manual, glad I had a photographic memory. Hydroplaning (a.k.a. skidding) is worst during the first fifteen minutes of a rain storm. It had been raining for much more than that so I at least had that advantage.

I skidded to the left, forgetting getting home and focusing on getting to somewhere with light and lots of people. I sprinted across the crosswalk and narrowly missed getting hit in the side with a car. I slid to the sidewalk and glanced behind me again. The only thing separating those men and me was that car. I clenched my hands into fists, turned, and ran.

My breathing was labored and my muscles were aching. I had had a double class of martial arts that day, going from kung fu to karate. I regretted taking both classes and wished I had saved _some _energy. But no, I had to be an overachiever!

Almost to the central square! I pushed my last energy into me legs and prayed I didn't topple over. I could hear the men's loud footfalls behind me. What the hell had I done? I didn't deserve this! But then again, the girl in the alley didn't deserve it either. Life just wasn't fair that way.

A small smile slipped onto my face as I came within a block of the plaza. All I had left was to cross one more street and continue forward. The plaza is less than a minute away! Apparently, so was my death. As I was sprinting across the crosswalk, a car was speeding down the street. The impact sent me flying backwards a good twenty feet, my body crumpling down into my own blood splattered across the wet road.

My blood mingled with the mini rivers of rain, tinting it red and making a gruesome scene. The car skidded to a stop, nearly hitting a brick wall. The person jumped out of there car and started screaming for help, for nine eleven, for anything. The men who had been chasing me retraced their steps and turned into an alley. A crowd started to form around my battered body.

All the movies, the books, the stories, they were right—your life does end in a flash. One minute I'm running for my life, and the next a pair of headlights flash in my vision. The next moment I go into cardiac arrest and suddenly, I stop living and start just being. Blackness surrounds me…no light, no colors, just a lonely empty feeling. I vaguely remember hearing people around me. I heard a siren in the distance. I heard the person who hit me scream and cry, spewing apologies. _It's not your fault,_ I wanted to tell her. My body was too busy convulsing to be able to speak.

"Move away! Out of the way! Back up!" I hear someone say—footsteps stumbling out of the way of whoever the man was. Suddenly a gasp sounds beside me, followed by a quiet, "Oh my, God."

Tears sprung at my eyes—that much I know. I was so wrong before when I listed the things I would wish I had done. Never finishing a trivial book? Never finishing the things on my bucket list? A strangled sound escaped my mouth, one that was supposed to be a laugh. Those things are things that will never really matter. Ever. Saying goodbye to my mom and dad—that's what matters. Saying I loved my dad even though he never supported me, even though he wanted a son—that's what matters. Getting to greet my baby brother when he is born in a month—that's what matters. Stopping the tears I knew my mom would be crying over me, stopping the guilt I knew my dad would feel over my death, beating up the people that would try to bully my brother—those things mattered. And Sam, oh Sam, how I hope what we had wasn't love and that you can get over me easily. All of this is my fault, anyways.

More sirens and wailing filled my ears. All of these tears and time spent for me? Go home—go back to where people are waiting for _you. _I'm already halfway gone. Suddenly a new voice enters the crowd, a voice I know very well. "Oh honey, no! No! My baby!"

Mom, no! Don't see me like this. Remember me how I was before—not the rebellious teenager who wanted to do extreme dare devil stunts—but as the perfect daughter I saw through your eyes. Small white specks entered my vision and I tried to lift my hand to reach them. My body hemorrhaged, shocks of electricity going through my now cold veins. "She's gone, ma'am. I'm sorry…there was nothing we could do."

Goodbye, mom—you were always supportive of me. Goodbye, dad—you always pushed me to do my best. Goodbye, brother—I'm sure you would have been the best little brother in the world. Goodbye, Sam—I'm sure one of us would have finally gained the courage to ask the other on a date. Goodbye, blond girl—have a good life and marry that guy you were with earlier. He looked like a keeper. Goodbye, friends—you were always there when I needed you. I'm sorry I'm not good with words and could never tell you all how much you really ment to me. Goodbye…goodbye all of you...I'll...I'll miss you.

That's when my heart officially stopped beating—**October 12th of the year 2010, at 11:27:57 pm**.


	2. Chapter 1

Thank you everyone who reviewed! If I didn't respond I apologize times 56464564! My computer is still out of whack.

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**Scars**

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**_Chapter One:_**

Thump.

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Thump, thump.

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Thump.

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Thump, thump.

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I gasped for breath, my lungs constricting and contracting. Water plugged my airway, making me cough and get the eerie sensation of drowning. I pushed myself up with my hands. Bright light blinded my eyes and I squinted to see my surroundings. All white. I blinked several times and suddenly colors surrounded me. Blue, green, brown, yellow…I was afraid I wasn't going to see anything but white or black.

I looked over to my side, air finally traveling freely through my windpipe. Black and white suddenly stared back at me. I screamed. It must have sounded like bloody murder because the white and black quickly covered my mouth. I blinked twice.

Wait…what?

"The hell? I save you from fucking drowning and the first thing you do is scream?" The colors started to take shape and I noticed the person in front of me wasn't a blob of white and black, but a person.

The hand moved from my mouth and once again I choked on oxygen trying to pass through my body. Sharp stabbing sensations entered my chest and I gripped my left side with my hand. It hurt like pure hell. When I finally stopped coughing and my body decided that it would like oxygen, I looked up at the person who said I had—

"Wait, drowning?" I whispered out, my voice raspy. I cringed at the horrid sound but looked up to meet eyes with the stranger. Dark…very dark eyes stared back at me. A single pair of completely impassive eyes stared back at me.

"I pulled you out of the bottom of that river," a silky smooth voice spoke. I glanced at the river beside me and then the man crouched next to me. Wait, I didn't die? There must…am I dreaming? Is this heaven? The stabbing pain occurred again and I winced. Or hell?

"Where am I?" The dark haired man's eyes narrowed and he stood up, turning away from me.

"Wait, don't go!" I nearly screamed, latching onto his arm. His dark eyes looked from my hands wrapped around his arm to my face and back down again. I suddenly noticed how scary this man was.

"Let go of me. Now." I dropped his arm quickly and shuffled away, the shock of earlier finally hitting me now that the adrenaline was gone. I got hit by a car! A car! Going sixty miles an hour! I started to hyperventilate and flipped over so I was on my hands and knees.

"I'm alive…I'm…this…I can't…no…" It's not possible. It defies all quantum physics. It defies _everything._ My vision started to gain white and black splotches and a scream thundered from deep in my throat. "No!" Don't take me back! No! I don't want to feel the pain, physical and emotional, of those around me and only be able to see utter darkness and feel complete loneliness. My hand gripped my karate gi above my heart. It's beating…but how?

And then my new ultimate fear surrounded me leaving me in the vast loneliness of nothingness.

Darkness.

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Light flickered across the wall.

I sat up slowly and brought my palms up to my head. A pounding migraine had formed and it made the walls around me seem to shake. I glanced up from my lap to see a single candle that was settled into the stone of the wall. It was the only form of light in the infinite darkness.

I pushed myself off of the bed, crawling on my hands and knees to the only place I felt safe—the light. I huddled under the candle and pulled my knees to my chest. I was so confused that simple sentences couldn't even form in my mind. Instead it was something like, "Oh my gosh…the dark…pounding…car…dead? I…blond…car…alive?"

Tears formed in my eyes as I remembered my mom's sobbing face hovering over my tangled limbs.

"_Oh honey, no! No! My baby!"_

Was she okay? I tried to imagine her standing on our yard, the sun shining in the sky. I imagined my dad with his arm wrapped around her and a smile on his face. A small baby boy was wrapped in her arms. He had bright strawberry blond hair like my own and the deep brown eyes like my dad. Their smiles were so genuine that it looked like a Kodac shot.

Sirens suddenly wailed in the distance and I turned to look back at my family. The baby in my mother's arms was suddenly gone, dropping into an unending darkness below them. My mom's face was set in a broken shell of its former self and my father's arm dropped from her shoulder. He pointed out in front of him.

No…

I turned on my heels just in time to see two bright pairs of lights staring at me. The impact came just like before, but this time I expected what followed: immense pain…more sirens…screaming…crying…and then my mom's voice.

"_Oh honey, no! No! My baby!"_

"No!" I screamed, thrashing my arms out around me. "Mom, no!" I blinked several times, noticing again the odd pitter patter that emanated from my chest. I put the palm of my hand to the spot above my heart. I sighed in relief. As long as it was beating it meant that there was no more hollow sadness.

Steps echoed in the distance and my head darted up. A door opened up, blinding light poured through. I squinted my eyes, trying to see the figure. He walked all the way up to me and crouched in front of me. My eyes adjusted to the light and I could see that he had light grey hair and round glasses, but not wrinkles like an elderly man. My brain had trouble processing how that was possible.

"Hello? Anyone there?" I blinked out of my thoughtful daze and looked back up to the old man.

"Yes?" My voice was weak and I felt utterly helpless—which is something I didn't usually feel. I didn't know why I was sitting in the dark or why this old man was here talking to me. All I knew is that I certainly got hit by a car and somehow was sitting there that day.

"What is your name?" The man asked. My name? My eyebrows furrowed. It was…something like…

"_Jaden, you want a ride home? It's getting pretty bad out."_

My breathing came faster and pain ran through my veins. I gripped my heart tightly. The sweet thudding sound was there. The pain relinquished and I removed my hand from my chest. The man early…he said I had drowned. The scary black haired man said he had saved me from it. Did he know more? Could he…could he know about why I'm not…well, dead?

"That guy, the one with black hair…is he here?" A frown suddenly appeared on the old man's face. He sighed and stood.

"Come with me," the man said and I just stared as he started to move. No way was I just going to follow this random old man!

"_We can keep her for later."_

A hand suddenly sat on my shoulder and my training kicked in. I pushed up into a squat and kicked his legs out from underneath him. I leaned my weight on my left hand and kicked my right leg up. It contacted with his stomach and sent him a few feet back. I jumped into a stand and settled into a fighting stance.

The man let out a hiss of annoyance and adrenaline pushed through my veins. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and put his hand out as if to reach me…and then the weirdest thing happened. His hand started emanating a bright blue glowing light. Then he sprinted toward me.

I ducked out of reach of his hand, side stepping so he was the one near the candle and I was the one near the door. My hands twitched at my sides and I glanced back over at the candle. If I could get him to undermine his surroundings, then I could escape.

The thought of setting a person on fire was cruel and unusual but my morals were numb and all that pumped through me was this sudden necessity of survival. It was suddenly all that mattered. I needed to survive, to live, to be…and this guy was trying to do the opposite.

The man grunted and swiped again at me. I didn't know what that blue stuff was but it was obvious that it would do something bad if it touched me—he kept trying to touch me with it. Guessing from his old man build, he wasn't very physically fit so I had that advantage. He did, however, have the advantage that I couldn't get touched by his hands. I didn't want to know the consequences.

I pushed back to avoid his swipe and glanced down at my one shoe—the one that I hadn't thrown at those two men. So, it wasn't a dream? I reached in front of me and undid the knot in my karate obi. The man eyed it warily. Good.

I stepped to the left and used my obi as a whip to hit him. He dodged it and brought up his foot to kick me. I quickly lifted my foot and yanked off the shoe. I then pelted it at the old man's face. It hit home and the man, on only one foot, staggered back to get his balance. Unbeknownst to him, the candle sat right behind him, flickering its little flame. The man's clothes caught fire faster than I expected. An odd strangled sound emanated from his throat. I took that as my cue to leave.

I spun around on my right heel and pulled open the door with all my strength. It swung around and crashed into the wall, making a loud pounding sound. I was already gone, though. Endless darkness entered my vision. I bit my tongue to stop the scream I wished too badly to just scream.

As I was running, every sound seemed some unbidden foe, every movement in the darkness was a threat, and every breeze of the wind was the two men's breath from before. Another strangled cry sounded behind me and a shiver crawled up my spine. Later I would feel immense guilt for lighting someone on fire, but now all I felt was the adrenaline.

I hit a solid wall with a whack and I stood still for a moment, disoriented. I then looked to my right to see a candle flickering in the distance. Light! I sprinted forward. My feet were cold and damp, a headache forming, and my heart hammered relentlessly in my chest.

That's okay, I thought. It means I'm alive.

I grabbed for the candle when I was in range and tried to pull it toward me. It was then that I noticed it was attached to a person. Fuck! Suddenly, a sound erupted behind me and I turned to see a person running in my direction, fire sizzling from his clothes. My eyes widened at the gruesome sight in front of me. There's no way…there's…it's…I did that?

The old man continued running toward me at full speed. I glanced behind me at the candle and the black haired, black eyed man that held it. I stared into his eyes looking for something, anything. What I found was the candle's flame reflected in them. Without a thought, I sprinted toward the man and stood behind him, wrapping myself around his back. He was taller than me, but warm and not in darkness. He felt like a safe haven, like light, like a flame.

The sound of waves pounding against the walls suddenly occurred. I didn't look up from my spot. My head was pushed into the crook of the dark man's back and there was no way I was going to move. Not with the man chasing me, not with two sadistic men following me, not with the car that was sure to hit me. No, I was going to stay right where I was, in a safe zone. A place unreachable by harm and pain.

"Move," the old man's voice spat. I had royally pissed him off. I gripped onto the dark man's shirt tighter, afraid of him casting me aside or worse, in front of him into the old man's evil clutches.

"You are in no position to tell me what to do, Kabuto," A darker, silkier voice spoke. I could feel the vibrate come from the dark man's chest as he spoke. It sounded like heaven to my ears.

"She…she set me on fire!" Kabuto yelled and the sound of his footsteps approaching made me let out a sad excuse of a whimper.

"_Not so tough now, huh?"_

"I…I don't want to die," I whispered into the cloth of the shirt. The man in front of me turned and I relinquished my tight hold. He stared down on me. He's going to let Kabuto kill me!

"I'm sure you deserved it," the dark haired man said to Kabuto before he began to walk away. I glanced back at the singed form of Kabuto, and then back to the dark form in front of me.

"I'm not waiting forever." With that said, he continued his walking and I rushed after him.

"I'm telling Lord Orochimaru!" Kabuto threatened. The dark haired man didn't respond. I gripped the sides of my karate gi, my knuckles turning white. I didn't know where I was going or even how I got there, I just knew for once I felt a little safer, a little more sure of myself. Being utterly afraid is something that I had never experienced before and I hoped, would never have to experience again.

And then I remembered how scary the dark haired man was.


	3. Chapter 2

**Scars**

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**_Chapter Two:_**

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It's not like the dark man was scary in the sense that he had animal canines as teeth or bat wings on his back. He didn't look a thing like the two men in that alley. He really didn't look like a typical bad guy at all—that wasn't what was scary. What was scary was the way he made me feel.

With some people you have a mutual acceptance and even silence can't make each other's company awkward. Then there are some people where you will walk faster or slower just so you don't have to endure the pregnant pauses as you attempt some form of communication. And finally, there was what being around Sasuke made you feel. He made the hairs on your arms stick up, spiders crawl up your spine, and your muscles to go cold.

I just found out I was going to be staying with him.

I wasn't sure whether to be happy or upset.

On one hand, he had saved my life from that Kabuto guy that was trying to kill me. On the other hand, he was the epitome of scary-bad-guy-that-you-need-to-stay-away-from. It was like a double edged sword and I soon realized that, that simile was the right choice for my given situation. Swords and many, many other types of sharp objects hung from his walls. It made the blood beneath my skin dance, and my stomach get queasy.

We never learned how to fight with real weapons in any of the different types of martial arts I took! The closest thing was a jo or a bo. A jo is a wooden stick that goes to your chin and a bo is a wooden stick that goes a good two feet above your head. Neither of which had a sharp blade on the end.

Sasuke grabbed some blankets and a pillow from somewhere in the darkness and threw them onto the floor in front of me. "You'll sleep here," he instructed me and I nodded my head vigorously. "You will not explore the base. You will not touch my weapons or I swear I will cut off one of your fucking hands." I flinched and nervously rubbed a wrist.

"You will not talk to anyone. You will not go anywhere without me or someone I approve of with you. Do you understand?"

"Yes." My voice wasn't as firm as I wish it was but it was good enough. Sasuke trekked through some drawers before slamming them shut and throwing a pile of clothes at me.

"Get changed, you smell like shit. The bathroom is across the hall." With that, the dark man left me there—alone. I tightened my grip on the clothes and slowly exited the room. A dark wooden door sat right in front of me and I opened it. It looked like a regular bathroom to me.

I pushed the heave latch on the door, locking it and feeling much safer. I stripped of my clothes and jumped into the shower.

Warm water would have been too nice for a creepy place like this.

I showered as fast as I could, goose bumps littering my skin. I jumped out of the shower and dried myself hastily. I pulled on Sasuke's clothes. They were baggy—as would be expected—but they were somewhat similar to the karate gi I wore to so many classes. I wonder if he chose these clothes on purpose or if these are what he usually wore.

I looked at my disheveled reflection in the cracked mirror in front of me. Bright red hair stood out against the black of the clothes. Gosh, I looked like shit. I vigorously tried to comb my fingers through my hair and make it look tamer. That did little good.

I glanced back at my reflection. My bright green eyes weren't as bright as they once were. It could have been that I was in candlelight, but I felt like it was something more. Like that experience had forever changed apart of me. Like I would never be the same I once was.

I pulled on my tough face, refusing to think about my family or friends, and left the bathroom. I went straight back to Sasuke's room and threw the clothes into a woven basket that I assumed was used as a hamper. I lay myself down on the blankets on the floor, cuddling into them.

I had no idea what time it was. I had no idea what day it was. But I knew I was tired and no longer smelly. So I closed my eyes and tried to ignore the coldness of the floor beneath me and drone out the endless screams that made my body feel hollow…

_My vision flickered in and out. I glanced above me to see a single street light flickering. My blood went cold and I glanced in front of me. There stood two men I had never seen before. One was blond and one browned hair. I could not tell what their eyes looked like in the scantly lit alley. _

_I jumped when I heard a familiar scream. In front of the two men stood a wide eyed, frightened girl. I backed away slowly. Not again, I can't do this again. I was almost out of the alley when the girls eyes locked with mine. _

_Help, they begged. _

_Before I knew it, I was running in the direction of the two men. Thought escaped me and I kicked the brown haired forward, his back making a sickening cracking sound. He stood up unfazed and I couldn't move. Why was he not paralyzed? I know that was his spine. The blond man grabbed my arms and locked them behind my back, pulling me further into the alley. I could feel my arms being dislodged from their sockets._

_Worst of all, it was getting darker and darker the further I got pulled in. The girl was now gone but I couldn't feel the relief I had before. I started screaming but the man didn't stop pulling me until it was pitch black. Then I felt something sharp rip through my skin. Again, and again. The stabs and pain never ceased._

_"You fucking bitch!"_

_Stab._

_"This is what you deserve."_

_Cut._

_Tear._

_I screamed bloody murder._

...I woke up with a start. My heart was pounding in my chest. I looked around me to see I was still on the floor of Sasuke's room. It was just a dream, I told myself. The ground felt like ice beneath me, even with the blankets that were tangled around my body.

I shivered and looked to the bed on the other side of the room. I couldn't tell if Sasuke was there or not, but I quickly shook my head. It doesn't matter anyway. He wouldn't comfort me.

So I crawled back under the covers, doing my best to untangle them before cocooning myself. It was difficult to breathe with the covers over my head, but it felt just a little safer. I pulled the covers off my head to breathe.

I wrapped my arms around myself to help keep warm, but to also try to comfort myself. I was all alone in this big world. I had no one to guide me, comfort me, or just plain to hold me. I didn't have my mom and her bright smile. I didn't have my dad and his harsh but guiding tone. I didn't have Sam to insure me everything would be alright. I didn't have my baby brother to bring hope. It was just me.

It was just me in this dark, scary place. I would have to fight my fights by myself without my karate sempai, my kung fu shifu, or my mixed martial arts sensei.

Suddenly, dying seemed a whole lot easier.

I awoke a while later and assumed it was morning. It is difficult to tell when you're underground. I didn't sit up at first; instead I just sat there and listened for another person's breathing. When none came, I lifted myself up and looked at the man's bed. It was empty. I wondered if he had even slept in it.

I rolled up my makeshift bed and put it in the corner. I peeked my head out of the door, seeing no unwanted figures.

You will not talk to anyone. You will not go anywhere without me or someone I approve of with you. Do you understand?

I looked both ways twice before shutting the door quietly behind me and heading down the hallway to the right.

You will not explore the base.

I dragged my fingers across the wall to feel my way through the dark corridor. The hallway hitched to the right and if I stared hard enough, I could see a torch at the end of the hallway. A torch is good. Torch means light.

A single metal door stood beside the torch. I stared at it, unsure of whether I should turn around and go back or not. I turned the knob and it slowly creped open. Inside the room were stairs. I grabbed the torch from its holder.

The stone steps were cold under my socked feet. I missed having shoes, but in no way was I going to go up to Sasuke and request a pair of shoes. No, I'd rather wander around shoeless.

I gasped when I came to the last step. All down the corridor, right to left, stood cells. Legit jail cells with big, grey operating tables on them. Some of them even had people on them. My blood went cold.

I walked up to the first cell on my left and peered in through the bars. What lay on the table was neither human nor animal. Its eyes met my own and I jumped back. Yellow pupil-less eyes surrounded by black studied me. The…thing…had dark splotches of skin spread across its lighter skin. It had a streak of white hair through its dark, tangled locks.

Demon was the only word that came to mind. It looked like a devil incarnate. But as I stood there, it slowly came up to the bars and stared curiously at me. My knuckles were white as I held the torch so close to me that it's a wonder I didn't set on fire.

It reached its hands through the bars and I squealed, taking another step back. At the sound of my squeal, it skirted to the back of its cell. Big, creepy eyes glanced out at me.

It's as scared as I am.

"I'm not here to hurt you," I said cautiously, taking a step forward. It took tentative steps forward until it reached the bars. It cocked its head to the side, waiting for me to make a move.

"Hi," I whispered. A hissing-growl sound emanated from its mouth and I noticed that if I listened really closely, I could hear the faint tone of a "hi."

"You can understand me!" I shouted happily. The thing matched my smile.

"Hhhaiiii," It growled. I frowned. It was simply copying me.

"Jaden," I said pointing toward my self. It stared at me and blinked a few times.

"Jayyyydann," it replied. I frowned. It was like a parrot, simply copying what it could of what I said. It was taller than me, but skinnier. I could see the near skeletal frame with rags draped over it. It made my heart clench.

"Who is so cruel to you? It's not fair. Do they hurt you?" I glanced over at the metallic grey operating table, adding, "Experiment on you?"

The creature only stared back at me, yellow eyes glazed over, recognition not lighting up its face. Suddenly, there was a creaking sound at the opposite side of the hall. "I have to go!" I said quickly, nearly dropping the torch. I glanced around me nervously before turning back to the thing. I lifted my right hand up in a wave.

"Bye," I whispered. It mimicked my wave, bringing its own hand up to touch mine. It was warm and it shot a jolt of electricity through me. This was a living being. This…creature…it was once part human. Who had the right to lock the poor thing up?

"Baiiiii," it responded, a Cheshire cat smile on its face. My heart swooned over staying with the creature, protecting it from the harm lurking in the corridor, but my mind quickly overpowered it. If I were to be found down there, I would be dead meat.

I turned from it and ran up the stairs two at a time. I slid the door closed quickly, it echoing as it slammed shut. I sprinted down the corridor, my hand getting rug burn from where it dragged across the wall. When I reached Sasuke's room, I pulled out the bed stuff in the corner and threw the covers over me, attempting to look like I had been sleeping the entire time.

Breathe, I told my self. In. Out. The breathing worked, but I could only hope whoever was out there wouldn't be able to hear my racing pulse. The door creaked open slowly and I didn't dare look up to see who was there. In. Out. What felt like hours later, the door creaked closed again and the footsteps disappeared down the hallway.

"That was too close." 


End file.
